This Day in Storm Chasing & Severe Storms History

[Dan Robinson]

Starting a (hopefully) ongoing thread. Feel free to contribute!

On this date (May 18):

1987: Toledo/Emporia, Kansas tornadoes:
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr.../may-18-1987-toledo-emporia-kansas-tornadoes/

2013: Rozel/Sanford, Kansas tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...s/may-18-2013-rozel-and-sanford-ks-tornadoes/

2017: Chester/Seiling, Oklahoma tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...-2017-chester-and-seiling-oklahoma-tornadoes/

 

[chrisbray]

I like this!

 

[chrisbray]

The obvious for today is the Moore, Oklahoma EF-5 in 2013. Otherwise, here is another date:

May 20, 2001: 25 tornados are reported, mostly in Kansas and Oklahoma.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/event.php?date=20010520

 

[Dan Robinson]

More May 20 events:

1977: Altus, Oklahoma tornado

1983: Plainview, Texas tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...events/may-20-1983-plainview-texas-tornadoes/

1985: Tahoka, Texas tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...0s-events/may-20-1985-tahoka-texas-tornadoes/

1988: Big Springs, Texas tornado
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...events/may-20-1988-big-springs-texas-tornado/

1999: Groom/Alanreed, Texas tornadoes

 

[Jeff Duda]

Anyone who has a Weather Guide calendar has been seeing stuff like this for years. Those calendars are a great source of weather history material (and imagery).

 

[Dan Robinson]

Quite a few events on May 22:

1981: Binger/Cordell, Oklahoma tornadoes (the famous "Wizard of Oz" tornado)

1995: Pampa, Texas tornadoes (separate event from June 8)

2004: Hallam (record width), Daykin and Beaver City, Nebraska tornadoes

2007: Hill City, Kansas tornado

2008: Hoxie/Grainfield/WaKeeney, Kansas and Windsor, Colorado tornadoes

2010: Bowdle, South Dakota tornado
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...ve/2010-events/may-22-2010-bowdle-sd-tornado/

2011: Joplin, Missouri EF5 and Zena, Oklahoma tornadoes

2016: Texas Panhandle and Southwest Kansas tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...xas-panhandle-and-southwest-kansas-tornadoes/

 

[Dan Robinson]

For May 24:

1973: Union City, Oklahoma tornado
https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/about/events/40thanniversary/stories/unioncity.html

1989: Blytheville, Missouri and Stanhope/Liscomb Iowa tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...missouri-and-stanhope-liscomb-iowa-tornadoes/

1994: Miami, Texas tornado

1998: Wakita, Oklahoma tornadoes

2002: Vernon, Texas tornado

2004: Thayer County, Nebraska and Albany/Bethany, Missouri tornadoes

2008: Hennesey/Douglas/Perry, Oklahoma tornadoes

2010: Faith, South Dakota tornadoes

2011: Oklahoma tornado outbreak: El Reno, Canton, Chickasha

2016: Dodge City and Scott City, Kansas tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...6-dodge-city-and-scott-city-kansas-tornadoes/

 

[Dan Robinson]

For May 25:

1965: Pratt, Kansas tornado
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...960s-events/may-25-1965-pratt-kansas-tornado/

1987: Gruver, Texas tornadoes
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...0s-events/may-25-1987-gruver-texas-tornadoes/

1997: Holyrood/Anthony/Perth, Kansas tornadoes

1999: Roswell, New Mexico tornado

2008: Parkersburg/New Hartford, Iowa tornadoes

2011: Missouri/Illinois tornado outbreak

2012: Russell and LaCrosse, Kansas tornadoes

2016: Bennington, Abilene and Chapman, Kansas tornado
https://stormtrack.org/weather-libr...ennington-abilene-and-chapman-kansas-tornado/

 

[Quincy Vagell]

Apparently May 25th has the most tornadoes of any single calendar day, according to Ian Livingston. This does not include tornadoes since 2016 either. With 603 tornadoes between 1950 and 2015, that's an average of nine tornadoes each year on this date.
https://twitter.com/islivingston/status/999992650345435137

 

[chrisbray]

Get ready to add a fat 0 to that total today!

 

[Lou Ruh]

For May 31, some of the lesser known ones (that I am familiar with):

1985 - Pennsylvania outbreak (including Wheatland F5, Moshannon State Forest F4 and Watsontown F4, et al)
1998 - Pennsylvania outbreak (including Lyons, PA F3) ... part of a two day multi-state severe weather outbreak)

More well known (if anyone on Stormtrack is not familar with these, I would be surprised):

2000 - Campo, CO
2013 - El Reno, OK

 

[RMCox]

I'm very familiar with the 5/31/85 outbreak as I was 22 and living in n.e. Ohio. Was glued to the TV that evening and awed by the destruction just an hour away from me.

 

[Lou Ruh]

I believe the Wheatland F5 started in Ohio. I know folks up near Allenwood who still talk about that tornado.

 

[RMCox]

You believe correctly, the Wheatland tornado originally touched down in the Ravenna Arsenal in Portage County, OH and later devastated parts of Newton Falls and Niles before heading into PA.

 

[Warren Faidley]

This is a great new topic. The only problem is drift, listing events that did not occur on the noted day.